WATCH: Tucker Carlson Spills The Beans About Kaepernick’s “Protest”

Tucker Carlson Tonight featured Fox Sports 1 host Jason Whitlock and the topic of discussion involved Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the regular pre-game performance of the National Anthem. The conversation got interesting as Carlson and Whitlock dissected the situation.

They started the segment by rehashing the awkward events of that first game where Kaepernick, who is reportedly worth $22 million, decided to kneel in order to protest against “police brutality” and “racial inequality.” Now, it is happening again as more players start to kneel or sit during the national anthem. “You can’t tell me that there aren’t NFL players who recognize the stupidity of the style of protest Colin Kaepernick has chosen,” Whitlock argued.

Their response comes as football season is starting up, and now even more players are starting to kneel–and even sit–during the national anthem. According to Fox News, Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Bennett and the Oakland Raiders’ Marshawn Lynch sat similarly during recent games.

Whitlock pointed out that many NFL players — regardless of skin tone — know that there is no quicker way for their message to get lost than by protesting the National Anthem. It begs the question: if they know their message is essentially pointless, why do it?

The Fox Sports 1 host suggested that maybe there is a reason why no one else in the NFL is standing up to this foolish behavior. “But they’re all afraid to say it because of the backlash.”

He raises a valid point. In these turbulent times, standing up against “protesters against racism” could be a career death penalty, even if the person standing up is not protesting real racism.

Sadly, not everyone from Fox Sports 1 shares this opinion. Shannon Sharpe recently tried to blame the managers of the teams for not signing Kaepernick because they don’t like what he is doing.

Nobody discusses the theory that maybe the reason no one wants Kaepernick is beyond his controversy. Maybe they just do not want to pay that much for a backup quarterback whose time, frankly, has passed. His performance has been noted by sports analysts as declining and uninspiring.

On Tucker Carlson Tonight, Whitlock noted that, “Sports have always been about bringing people together for a fun event. It’s always been about racial unity and looking past your differences to achieve some athletic goal.”

Football season is starting up and more players are starting to kneel–and even sit–during the national anthem. Should they keep politics out of professional sports?

Whitlock said that Kaepernick turned the sport into “something else,” pointing out that it isn’t an effective way to deliver his message, and if anything, he is only hurting his cause.

The idea of politics being infused into a societal distraction–such as a sporting event–is a turn off for many fans. It seems that Kaepernick is going to be left without a football home this season, but it’s likely the country has not seen the last of the National Anthem protests.